The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus waste suited for management of waste toner.
With an image forming apparatus that is a printer, a multi-function printer, or an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), such as a multifunctional machine, when an image is to be printed on a paper sheet, a latent image that is formed on, for example, a photosensitive drum, which is a photosensitive medium, is visualized with a developer (toner), and a toner image therefor is transferred to the paper sheet.
On the surface of the photosensitive drum, the toner that has not been transferred to the paper sheet may be left. Since such remaining toner will introduce deterioration of the image quality at the next time of transfer, it is appropriately removed from the photosensitive drum with a blade, or the like. The waste toner that has been removed is conveyed to a waste toner box through a specific path, and stored.
By the way, if the waste toner box is filled up with the waste toner that has been stored, the waste toner in the waste toner box may be scattered. Therefore, when or before the waste toner box has been filled up, it is required to urge the user to replace the waste toner box.
As the typical technique for urging replacement of a waste toner box, there is available a system that can monitor the toner environment, being loaded in an image forming apparatus. This system in the image forming apparatus has a first detection means that detects the quantity of the toner in the toner cartridge, using least a first threshold as a criterion, a second detection means that detects whether the waste toner box is loaded in or removed from the image forming apparatus, a reporting means that issues a first alarm informing the operator of the time when the waste toner box is to be replaced having come, and a control means that drive-controls the reporting means such that it issues a first alarm, if the first detection means detects that the toner quantity has been reduced to below a first threshold, and terminates the issue of the first alarm, if the second detection means detects that the waste toner box has been removed and loaded.